Sakurabana
by chihayes
Summary: "Sakurabana is quite an interesting flower, actually...it has a brilliant blooming season followed by an inevitable death...just like yours."  !ON HIATUS! I will try to get back to it as soon as I can...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

**Alright, as a little intro to the story, I'll say that it will be an H centered fic with some romance thrown in. It WILL be an OC. The time period is season 10.**

**_Sakurabana_ means 'cherry blossom' in Japanese. The reason for it being the title will be told midway through the story.**

**With that, I'll just say Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>"<em>Sakurabana is quite an interesting flower, actually…..It has a brilliant blooming season followed by an inevitable death…..just like yours."<em>

**Sakurabana: Chapter 1**

_Tuesday, 8:30 a.m._

Veronica Campbell shoved open the door to her floral shop 'Flower Frenzy', smelling the odours the moment she let the air flow out of the fairly tight space. She was used to the smells, though…after all, she owned the place and worked in it every day from 9-6. Flowers had always been her point of interest even though her now deceased parents tried to convince her otherwise through other subjects during the high school years. When she was young, she would always be more interested in smelling the blooming gardens rather than playing on the swing set in the park. Of course, this resulted in a limited amount of friends during her childhood, but she didn't mind that much. She was still a fairly social woman at heart.

She closed the door behind her and weaved her way through the lines of flowers, whether they were laid down in buckets, arranged in vases or hanging in pots from the ceiling. Due to the limited amount of space, the shop looked more like a greenhouse that was filled to its maximum capacity. Tucked away behind a cluster of flower pots was the cash, which is where Veronica dumped her purse and lounged in the cheap desk chair. All of the pre-made bouquets were watered from the night before as well as the buckets of a certain kind. This meant that she had a half hour to kill before the customers started to wander in looking for presents or decorations that seemed to sell incredibly well. With that thought, she pulled out her sketchpad from under the desk and started to draw whatever her mind wanted.

* * *

><p><em>8:56 a.m.<em>

Natalia swerved into a parking spot, noticing the familiar florist sign in front of her. She would always get flowers from that store because of quality and customer service (not to mention that the clerk was a nice one to talk to). Killing the engine, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door, she made her way out of her car and towards the curb in front of Flower Frenzy. In the display window were about two or three bouquets, each containing a few mums and daisies ranging in colour which attracted Natalia's eye within seconds, "Hm…maybe I'll ask for that one."

She made her way into the store, and instantly saw the head of coffee-coloured hair from behind a large sketchpad. Natalia had known Veronica for about three years, and had constantly supported her store ever since it opened that one fateful day back in 2009. She was one of Veronica's first customers, and was greeted by her cheery brown eyes.

After hearing the tiny bell over the door chime, Veronica lifted her head to see the familiar face, "Natalia! You're-," she checked the clock on the back wall, "Three minutes early! I'm afraid that you're going to have to wait outside."

Natalia crossed her arms and tilted her head, "Literally?"

"Come on, you know that I'm kidding….Welcome back girl! How are things?" Veronica stood up and walked over to the CSI, dropping the sketchpad on the desk and adjusting the hem of her shirt on the way.

"Pretty normal. It's everything that a CSI like me could expect from the job. You know, dead people and things," she let out a little chuckle, "Nothing you need to worry about. So what about you? Business as usual?"

Veronica nodded, "Business as usual. I'm getting a new batch of roses and carnations tomorrow, so the herd will have to wait until then." She struck a casual pose with her hand on her hip and weight on one leg, "So what brings you here this fine and glorious morning?"

Natalia pointed briefly, "Oh! Of course! I need a quick present for my friend Calleigh….she's actually getting proposed to tonight at a get-together with the team. She has no idea that it's going to happen, and her boyfriend is currently working….so I agreed to pick up a little something." It was actually funny. The moment Natalia woke up, her phone started ringing time after time. When she finally answered it, she could only laugh at how panicked Eric sounded when he told her he'd forgot to get Calleigh some flowers to go with the ring.

She raised an eyebrow, "Ahhh…so it's the stressed future husband! What kind of arrangement is he looking for? Lilies? Roses? A mix of both?"

"I actually have no idea whatsoever. He didn't tell me what he wanted…he just said, and this is in his exact words," Natalia hunched over and put a pretend phone to her ear, "Just get me a bouquet in time and I'll give you a hundred bucks! Or something to repay you!" She tried to make her voice sound deep like his.

"Oh my….A hundred bucks doesn't sound that bad….Maybe I can help with your decision. What kind of woman is she?" Veronica tended to ask that question whenever she came across a customer not knowing what to buy someone. She knew that a person's personality could relate to flowers and colours, so it was a pretty decent way to solve the problem.

Veronica remembered that one day, a rather attractive (by her standards) middle-aged man came in looking for some flowers to put on his deceased wife's grave. He said that it was her birthday. This pulled on her heartstrings quite a bit, just seeing the man look down at the floor with his eyes looking lifeless and depressed. Without even asking her common question of 'what was she like', which would probably just make it worse for him, she whipped up an arrangement with two simple flowers: pink lilies and red carnations wrapped up in some pink paper. The moment she brought it to him, he seemed to lighten up a bit, a faint smile breaking out on his face as he took the bundle from her with a 'thank you'. She didn't mind telling herself that she wanted to see him again for some odd reason that could never be defined.

Natalia brought her out of the memory by replying to her question, "Well, she's a ballistics expert. Blonde. Bubbly. Southern belle. Uhm…..yellow?"

"My goodness you're reading my mind," Veronica chuckled as she wandered over to the area where the yellow flowers were, gliding her finger over the names on the steel buckets. When she found what she wanted, she tapped it lightly, "Chrysanthemums. Along with a few accents, I could make it quite a looker."

"Sounds great!" Natalia did a 'two thumbs up' just as the bell at the door rang again. A father and his son, as it looked, just walked in and were looking around in awe.

Veronica bit her lip when she saw the duo, "Okay. I have some customers…..so I'll make it sometime today, and you can pick it up before the party. That sound good?" Her voice was quick like a racing rabbit.

Natalia shook her head, holding it lightly, "Nonono…that won't work. Is it possible that you can drop it off there? It's after you're finished working, and the place is on your way home."

"Uhm," Veronica didn't usually deliver to locations, but speaking that it was a friend, after work and on her way home, she couldn't say no, "So where is 'the place'?"

"Dmitri's…..you know….that casual restaurant right on the beach? We're just going for drinks," she said, pointing at one of the walls in the store to show where the restaurant was.

Veronica shrugged, knowing exactly where it was located, "Alright then, see you later!"

* * *

><p><em>11:21 a.m.<em>

Horatio looked down at the photo in his hands, painful memories flashing in front of him like a film.

The photo was of Marisol and himself linking arms after they were just pronounced husband and wife. She just had to die mere hours after the wedding….before they could go to dinner….before they could consummate the marriage. They wouldn't have anyways, simply due to lack of time, her cancer, and the trial at hand. He loved her more than he'd loved anyone in his life, and it was proving to be shackling him to the ground day after day. He promised that he would make her happy….he promised that he would make all of her problems go away….he promised her children. Would he have been able to keep those promises? Probably not, and that just made it worse.

He hadn't dated or become intimate with someone ever since she died, and he wasn't the only one that was aware of his mourning. Everyone close to him did, sometimes more than himself. The change in his mood, the dark wardrobe, the solitude, some extra weight, all were just factors of the huge change in him since then. No matter how hard they tried to pull him out of the hole that he'd created, whether it was by going out to dinner or sharing a few laughs, nothing seemed to work. All they could do was stand on the sidelines and watch as it all unfolded. Of course the whole mess with Julia didn't help either. However, one positive aspect of that meeting was his son, Kyle. At first, their relationship was rusty to say it briefly, but over time, the bond between father and son strengthened. But he was in Afghanistan now, leaving his practically unchanged father in Miami alone, once again.

Dropping the picture back into the drawer and shutting it, he placed his elbows on the table. I should be checking up on the current case.

"Hey Horatio?" came Natalia's voice from behind the door, "Is it safe to come in?"

He nodded to himself, throwing his current thoughts away in order to focus on whatever Natalia wanted to talk to him about that appeared to be somewhat important. "More than."

Natalia pushed the door open and shut it quietly behind her, not having to worry about carrying a file with her. "Sorry for bugging you right now Horatio, I just wanted to ask you a quick question about something after work."

"Is it possibly regarding Eric's proposal tonight?" Horatio noticed the shock on her face when he asked that question, "Yes, I know about it." It was practically impossible for him not to hear about something in the lab. He walked through every inch of it every day, so nothing was a secret.

"Oh," was all that she could chirp due to surprise.

"Do you need to know something about me regarding the proposal?" Horatio asked, attempting to free her from the cage of shock.

Natalia shook her head slightly and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I was wondering if you could do me a favour." She let her arms hand loose at her sides and shoulders relax.

Horatio leaned forward, eyes becoming narrower every second, "And what kind of favour might this be? Do I….need to come first and save the table?" He was often asked to do that whenever the team came. Why? He wasn't exactly sure.

"No. Nothing like that at all. I was just going to ask if you could wait for someone at the front of the restaurant….you know…wave them over," she sounded like she was questioning herself at the last sentence.

He raised an eyebrow, "Who is it that I'm waiting for? And why, may I ask, can't you do the job?" Horatio paused, "I don't mind doing it….I'm just curious."

After walking a little closer to him, Natalia responded, "If I leave the table, Calleigh will become suspicious as to why I am and maybe follow me. You, on the other hand, have many more reasons to leave, speaking that you are the lieutenant. Maybe pretend that your phone is vibrating, and that you have to make a private call. And you're waiting for Veronica."

"Who is Veronica? A friend of yours?" He blinked multiple times after that question.

"Yes. A florist, actually. I got a frantic call from Eric this morning saying that he was in need of a floral arrangement tonight, so she agreed to drop it off," Natalia explained, her hand resting on her hip. "I'd just appreciate it if you could meet her at the front and take the flowers from her. Then, wait until Eric pops the questions and bring them over."

"Fair enough. Does she stay for dinner, or no?" Horatio pulled out his phone after he felt it vibrate in his suit pocket, and read the text on the screen while still paying attention to Natalia.

The last question made her stop for a moment and think. Would the team mind if she brought a friend with her? Probably not, after all, she's just a florist. "Uhm….sure. Ask her first…but if she agrees, then bring her with you."

Replying to the text and placing the phone back in the suit pocket, he leaned back in his chair and grinned ever so slightly, "Sounds good. I'm figuring that I'll recognize her because she'll be carrying some flowers around, correct."

Natalia couldn't help but giggle, "Yep. Chrysanthemums are what you're looking for along with a few accents. She should be wearing a pair of boot cut jeans and and short sleeved purple shirt as well….it's what she was wearing this morning."

"Okay, thank you Natalia," he prompted her to leave his office, which she did with a little smile and a wave.

With a deep, long sigh, he started to rub the bridge of his nose, trying to remember where he'd heard the name 'Veronica' before, along with it having something to do with flowers. He swore that he'd briefly met a woman with that name before Natalia mentioned it. Oh well, if it was her, he'd know it.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? Please let me know!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sakurabana: Chapter 2**

_Tuesday, 6:51 p.m._

The team was now sitting around a patio table at _Dmitri's_ anxiously awaiting the proposal, but keeping it quiet in order to not ruin it for Calleigh. All had their drinks in hand and were laughing at inside jokes and stories of the past week. The soft crashes of the waves against the sand echoed through the air like music to their ears, more specifically, Horatio. He'd always found the water to be calming no matter how much of a mess he was in. That was one of the reasons that he didn't have much fear when he rescued Joey from Hell's bay years ago on the day that Speed died. Speed; Another reason for his changed attitude.

Out of nowhere, he felt a kick come to his left shin, making him shift slightly in his chair and eyes widen a little. When he tried to place the direction of where the blow came from, he came face to face with Eric. His face seemed to radiate something to do with trying to tell Horatio something, and he nudged his head to the entrance of the restaurant. Horatio realized what he meant immediately, but showed no notice of it in order to not spoil it for the lady of the night.

"Agh," he mumbled, reaching for his phone which wasn't even vibrating in the first place. He decided to go with the original plan of pretending that he had an important call to make, and checked the black touch screen a few times. The team seemed somewhat interested, so he explained, "If you'll excuse me …..I have to make a call."

"Sure thing Horatio," Calleigh replied sweetly, "We aren't going anywhere any time soon."

Relieved by her simple comment, Horatio dashed away from the table and walked until he could no longer see his colleagues, nor could they him. He always went by the saying 'if you can't see them, they can't see you', and it worked every time. Now waiting behind the glass doors, he stood with his hands on his hips and watched as multiple people moved through the parking lot. Cars came and left like bees in a hive, some parked there for dinner, but others were there due to their owners going for an evening stroll on the beach. Horatio couldn't complain since his fairly small house was only two blocks away from the sandy bar that he walked on once in a while.

Among the people moving around the lot was a family with two young children, a boy and a girl. He always wished that he had children that he was able to watch grow up. Yes, Kyle was his child, but he didn't meet him until he was sixteen and practically finished growing. Marisol _was_ his chance at trying again, but her life was taken too soon before they could even start trying. Now, he figured that his days of romance and children were over. What woman would like a lonely, sad, aging lieutenant like him? That was the question that convinced him that the answer was 'none'.

He waited for a few minutes, going over things in his mind such as _what will I do when Kyle comes home in a month?_ The fact that his son was coming home lightened his mood up a bit, but not enough to lift the weight of the world off his shoulders. Constant laughs and the sounds of shifting chairs echoed behind him, reminding him that it was just about facing the world with a high head and optimism.

That thought cause him to lift his head, now noticing that there appeared to be a walking arrangement of flowers nearing the restaurant. Her face was covered by the wrapping and greenery, but Horatio could tell that it _must_ be the Veronica that Natalia was telling him about. Just as she said, Veronica was wearing flare cut jeans that accented her toned legs perfectly, giving them a definite feminine shape that caught Horatio's eye. She walked effortlessly in her 4 ½ inch heels, unlike most women who end up tripping in them.

When she approached the door, Horatio stepped over and opened it for her, treated by a muffled 'thank you' afterwards. Sure enough, he could see that she had on a purple broadcloth short-sleeved blouse, its top half covered by espresso curls that began just below her nape and vanished just below her shoulder blades. Her figure was also enticing, the curves at her waist practically encouraging members of the opposite sex to feel them.

Of course, being the gentleman in the situation, Horatio approached her and timidly grasped the arrangement, "Please, let me take those for you."

Veronica let go of the flowers when she heard the man's deep voice, finding it strangely familiar. "Oh …alright. Thanks again," she replied before having the bundle removed from her arms, revealing the face of her helper.

When she saw him, though, she had the strangest feeling of recognition. She'd seen him before. Where? It was in her shop, she was sure of that, but wasn't sure about when. The red mane on his head and faint worry lines scattered on his face made her think of one person, though. "Sir, do I know you?"

Horatio was actually in roughly the same position as her, unsure of why his memory exclaimed that he'd seen her before. On the other hand, her face was doing more than enough to him. She being in shock just made her eyes look more extraordinary, wide and staring straight into his with curiosity along with her naturally plump lips parted slightly. "I ….I don't know," was all that he could say to her comment.

"Neither do I," she said, turning away and freeing herself from her trance, "I just thought that I'd seen you somewhere."

"Well, it's likely that you have. I'm a lieutenant at the police department ….so I'm often on the television. Are you Veronica?" Horatio asked, lowering his chin and raising his eyebrows.

She nodded, extending her arms out like she wanted to take something from him, "Mmhhmm, I'm Veronica. I'll carry those flowers again ….and sir, may I ask your name?" It wasn't fair that he would remain anonymous while her name was coming out of his mouth like he'd said it a million times before.

"Horatio Caine," he replied, keeping his hands around the flowers and holding them closer to his body. When she still reached forwards to take them, he turned sideways, "No no ….I'm with Natalia. I can carry flowers for a friend of my co-worker's."

Veronica shrugged her shoulders, figuring that Horatio was right about carrying the load for the lady. That was a classic man's gesture right there, and she appreciated it underneath her shield of independence. "Alright then. I guess that I'll be going. Hope to see you again, Horatio." She turned to walk away, but stopped dead in her tracks after hearing his voice again.

"Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed, as if in some state of panic. His arm naturally reached out to grab her upper arm and turn her around, but he stopped his hand mere inches away from her skin. The fact that he exclaimed also wasn't that helpful, considering that he lied that he was making a private call. There was no doubt that the team heard his loud voice and wondered who on earth he was talking to, not to mention Calleigh offering to be the one to find out.

Turning around, Veronica looked briefly down at his frozen hand beside her arm and blinked twice, "Yes?" She didn't say that as if she was annoyed, but like she was grateful that he stopped her.

Horatio held his lips together before lowering his arm to his side and relaxing his once tense shoulders, "Natalia was wondering if you wanted to stay with the rest of us for dinner."

"Uhm," Veronica wasn't sure how to respond due to being torn between saying 'yes' and 'no'. "Does ….does she_ want_ me to stay?" It was a valid question that would make the decision rather easy.

Problem was, it wasn't that easy for Horatio. Natalia never said that she _wanted_ her to stay, just to tell her that staying was an option. He couldn't say that she didn't, though, since he had an urge to find out more about this florist. "She ...never said that she didn't," the end of that phrase came out quickly.

Veronica bit the corner of her lip, signifying that she was thinking hard about something. Clicking her tongue and sitting back on her heels, she smirked, "I'll stay. There's nothing at my home that's waiting for me."

"Okay," Horatio said, the word almost sounding like a whisper. His teeth were revealed in his smile and his eyes were bright. It looked as if he was asking a child if they wanted ice cream, which almost made Veronica melt right there. Having such sudden feelings for a man was new to her, just making her more interested in him.

She poked her head around the corner, finding Natalia sitting at a table surrounded by other men and women. "So which one's Calleigh? I see two blondes…so I don't know which is which," her eyes jumped from one to the other while waiting for Horatio to answer.

"Calleigh is the one on the right," he came to stand beside her, yet remained out of the team's view. "Molly is the other one ….I take it that Natalia told you all about the proposal."

"Hmhm …the woman can't keep a secret. If her life depended on it, maybe, but not day-to-day ….she goes on and on about all of the so-called 'hot guys' in the lab. It's quite entertaining to hear her stories, actually," Veronica had a laugh in her voice, remembering every single detail of the constant tales of admiration and heartbreak. She could only wish that she would one day be able to joke around about the topic.

"Nothing I need to know about, is it?" Horatio asked.

Veronica glanced over at him, a playful smile on her face from his last comment, "No. I suppose not." Deciding to spark up another conversation, she started with, "Have you ever been in my flower shop? I swear that's where I've seen you."

Horatio held his lips together while he thought, trying to recall being anywhere near flowers, "Uhm ….what is it called?" His eyes narrowed.

"_Flower Frenzy _….I know ….stupid name," she waved it off, knowing that it was something that she'd never be able to talk about for more than a minute. She originally came up with the name after drinking three glasses of wine. No, she wasn't drunk, but her thinking wasn't the best.

"It is _not …_ a stupid name. And yes, I do recall being there back in the fall." Now he understood why he recognized her ….he came to her store to buy flowers for Marisol on her birthday. It just happened to be the day where he helped a pregnant woman who was beaten and tossed on the side of the freeway. Those kinds of crimes hurt him the most, and usually sent him into a downward spiral of fury over those who did such a thing.

She lifted the corners of her mouth, silently agreeing with him on them first meeting a few months ago. However, he looked much more enlightened now.

Noticing that Eric's hand drifted down to his pant pocket, Horatio leaned down to her ear, but remained away from her enough so that she had personal space, "Here he goes."

Eric turned to face Calleigh directly, moving his other palm over her hand tenderly, "Calleigh?" He looked anxious, like he was in an interrogation room himself and being questioned about whether he killed a family member or not.

She turned her head in a flash, "Yes Eric?" Her hair flew onto her other shoulder after being whipped around by the force of her turn, resting messily against her white jacket. Instantly finding that he looked out of place, she asked, "Eric, are you alright?"

"Not yet," he blurted out, looking away after he said it. Eric pulled out his chair, but didn't lower himself to the ground quite yet. "Calleigh, in the locker room that day, you told me that you loved me like family. I remember how you sounded when you said it ….how your body was angled ….how your eyes glittered in the light …..You're an amazing, _amazing_ woman Calleigh. So…so I want to ask you something." With those words, he stepped off his chair and placed one knee on the floor, revealing the small box that had been resting in his hand just moments earlier. "Will you marry me?" he opened the lid to reveal a sparkling diamond ring that matched her earrings.

At first, Calleigh didn't know what to say since her mouth was hanging open like a nutcracker's and her eyes were the size of golf balls, it seemed. After 'regaining consciousness', she bit her lower lip like a shy little girl and peeped, "Yes."

All during this tense moment, the entire crowd at the restaurant had turned their heads to watch, now clapping due to Eric's success. He managed to slide the ring onto her finger as quickly as possible in order to hug and kiss her to death right there in public.

Veronica chuckled and turned to Horatio, "Quite a show they're giving ….isn't it?"

He let out a quick sigh and tilted his head, letting his shoulders and neck relax, "Well …I guarantee you that they won't let everyone see _too_ much ….but we all know that in the moment, passion flares."

"It sure does," she said, thinking back to the limited occasions where she actually felt true lust for someone. All in all, Veronica could only narrow it down to a young man that she met back in college, and later had a one night stand with. After that night, he just vanished off of the face of the earth, leaving her disappointed that she lost her virginity in such a way. Distracting herself from those thoughts, she asked, "Should we give those flowers over to the groom-to-be now?"

"I guess that we should," Horatio took a deep breath during the sentence, followed by him leading her over to the table.

When Calleigh set her eyes on her boss approaching her with a strange woman and a bundle of flowers in his hands, she couldn't help but ask, "Did Eric make you both get these flowers?" She looked at him unpleasantly, knowing that he was busted.

There was a long moment of silence where the couple just tried to out-stare the other. Eventually, Natalia got fed up with this and broke in, "No ….No, I got the flowers …just so they could go with the proposal. We've known about it ever since this dinner was arranged, and, well, I needed someone to go and wait for the florist to deliver the flowers ….so Horatio did. And, here they are!" She outstretched her arms towards Horatio and Veronica, who were cued to nod in agreement. No, what Natalia said wasn't _quite_ the real story, but it would do.

Horatio handed Calleigh the flowers, which she took instantly and smelled. "These are absolutely gorgeous! Are you the florist?" Calleigh looked at Veronica, hugging the arrangement close to her body and covering herself in its smell.

"Yes, I'm the florist. Congratulations, Calleigh," she grinned, a subtle curve in her lips appearing.

For the rest of the evening, Veronica and the team had talked on and on about things that were going on in their lives, without getting overly personal. Throughout most of the conversation, Horatio had remained fairly quiet, excluding a few quick remarks and comments that he said out of nowhere. Veronica would have been the same way if it wasn't for Calleigh's entourage asking her so many questions one after the other. Whenever she'd have a brief second to herself, though, she would glance over at Horatio, always seeing him resting his chin on his fists. There were two things that remained obvious during that night: 1. That he was thinking about something …_hard _….and 2. She'd probably never see him again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the bold-normal text change. I type in bold so that I can read it more easily, and I forgot to change it back to regular. However, if you like the words in bold better, let me know and I can change it. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Sakurabana: Chapter 3<strong>

_Thursday, 7: 03 p.m._

He never saw her again after that night. Horatio knew that Veronica wouldn't be at her shop at this hour, but he had some mysterious urge to see her again. Was it her voice? Her eyes? Her hair? Her body? Her personality? He couldn't pin it down on one thing, because it was more like all of them combined along with some other traits as well. This was unusual, though, because he wasn't usually one to feel this way after meeting someone for the first time. It was like no matter what he tried to think, he always saw her face in that thought's place.

Reaching for the remote on the coffee table in front of him, he flicked on the television before reclining on the couch. The seven o'clock news was the channel that popped up, a reporter's face filling the screen with the words 'Shark Attack Frightens Locals'. "Agh ….Jaws wandered somewhere he wasn't supposed to," Horatio muttered to himself, placing the remote on the cushion beside him.

But he was about to get a surprise ….

_Ding-dong!_

"Who on earth-?" he questioned, wondering why someone would be coming to his home after work when he wasn't expecting anyone. It couldn't be Veronica …no, she didn't know where he lived. Yelina? No, she would have notified him. A team member? Maybe something happened at the last minute.

Getting up off of the softness of the couch and padding down the hall, Horatio resisted the urge to look through the circle of glass in the door just so it would be a surprise. It was highly unlikely that a gunman would appear at his door and ask for his money, so he didn't worry about that all too much. However, when he opened the door and saw the person standing there, he felt like slamming it shut right that moment.

Her auburn hair was tied in a messy bun with two chopsticks crossed in it, and her cat-like eyes narrowed down to slits. "Hello Horatio," she said kindly, her moderate Japanese accent clearly noticeable by him.

Horatio knew who she was immediately. "Clara, what are you doing here?" he didn't sound pleased at all. Clara was a woman that he had briefly dated before Rebecca Nevins, and had kept their relationship a secret and refused to talk about it. He'd met her in a sushi restaurant about ten years ago around the time when members of the Vegas Crime Lab visited, and they had both taken a liking to each other. As their relationship progressed, though, her personality started to change dramatically. She would demand ridiculous things, start to force him into things that he didn't want to do, and always attempt to bribe him into sexual activity, which he never gave to her. This caused the revelation of her dark side, leaving Horatio with no choice but to break up with her swiftly. He told her to never come back, and still remembered the conversation that they had vividly…

_Clara gripped the doorknob tightly, so hard that her knuckles turned white, "So you're just going to break up with me like this Horatio! After all that we've been through!" She swung the door open and let it slam against the wall with a 'bang'. _

_ "Absolutely," he sneered, baring his teeth and leaning forwards like a crouching tiger. "What have we been through Clara? Tell me. What have we been through that hasn't resulted in disaster?"_

_ "It wouldn't have ended in disaster if you just give me what I want! Horatio, I want you!" Her voice became hoarse, getting tired of screaming at him due to frustration. Horatio never ended up yelling at her, making her think that she had the upper hand._

_ He shook his head and rubbed his forehead, attempting to calm himself in such a wild situation. "Yes, but you see ….the problem is that I don't want you."_

_ Clara's expression changed dramatically, her flustered face now frozen as if she'd been whacked with a frying pan dead in the face. She quickly shook it off and became confused, "HOW! How could you not want me? I've seen it in your eyes when you kiss me that you DO!"_

_ Horatio had to hold back a little chuckle when she said that, because he didn't know that he was giving off such a thing. Thinking quickly, he came up with the best response he could, "If you really did love me for who I am, you'd know why already ….So I suggest that you go home and don't come back until you figure it out."_

_ "Fine then," she snorted, strutting out onto the porch and grabbing a hold of the doorknob once again. "I WILL be back, Horatio. There's no doubt about that." With those words, she whipped the door shut with tremendous force._

It was over so quickly, but one thing was for sure: She came back.

"You don't remember?" she asked, tilting her head and smiling like a china doll, except it was more like a Japanese doll. Whenever she had that look on her face, it reminded Horatio of a character named Hatsumomo, who was from a book called 'Memoirs of a Geisha' that Calleigh once told him about. She briefly explained that the character smiled like that when she was up to something, and her attitude was that of a snake.

Horatio still felt like shutting the door in her face, but held himself back like he would when he was with a criminal that drove him crazy. "Clara, I remember very well ….So where's your reason?"

She giggled, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him aside so that she could make her way inside. He didn't hold her back, but still eyed her like a hawk would a mouse when she moved past him and turned around in the hall. "I apologize. I was acting horrible when we were dating, and I regret it," she sighed, taking a step towards him and running her hand down the side of his face tenderly, "Hmmm ….you've changed. Something ….made you depressed."

"You're correct," Horatio wanted to rip her hand off of his face, but kept control once again and remained the untouchable lieutenant that he was.

"What happened? Did you lose someone close to you? A family member, perhaps?" Her hand took a detour and started to move down his chest, noticing that he had gained _some_ weight, but not enough to discourage her. In fact, touching him again felt like heaven all over again ….at least, for her it did.

Horatio, on the other hand, still struggled to remain untouchable by her caresses and answered her question, "My wife died six years ago."

"Oh," she pouted, exaggerating her frown and returning to her seductive smile afterwards. "Maybe I could help the pain go away? Hm?" Clara bit her lip as she trailed her fingers below his belt, aiming for one thing in particular.

"Enough!" His control snapped causing him to yell sternly. Horatio grabbed her wrist and shoved her away in one swift movement, his eyes showing no traces of sympathy, "You….haven't changed a bit."

Clara glared at him, her expression straight, "Oh. I thought that I did." She clapped her hands once, falling back on her heels, "So, what can I do to fix myself?"

Horatio let out a deep breath and placed his hands on his hips, "As I've said many times before …..You're the one that has to figure that out. I can't help you if you continue to act this way."

"Then I won't act this way Horatio ….just tell me what you want from me ….and I'll give it to you," she sounded desperate, like she was trying to beg a boss not to fire her. Clara was always one to put on a face when she needed it most …..and it usually caused most to give in.

"Clara, I want you to get out," was his simple reply.

"Excuse me!" she bit out, eyelids now completely invisible. "Don't tell me that you're just going to kick me out like that again." Fact was that she remembered the break-up better than he did, simply because she was the one being thrown away.

He gritted his teeth, making sure that they were able to be seen by her. "Get. OUT." That was Horatio's gift; being able to make someone shiver on the spot without raising his voice all that much. Far too many criminals had suffered through it, and he didn't want Clara (even though he lost his feelings for her a long time ago) to be one of the unlucky ones. He still had a heart.

Clara shrugged her shoulders and walked back to the door casually, as if she didn't even get affected by his evident frustration. "Alright, alright, alright. I'm 'getting out'." She was actually smiling ….that was the weird part about it. It all made sense in her next words, "But I'll be coming back again, Horatio."

Horatio stood still as she shut the door once again, but quietly this time, like she wasn't upset at all. Holding his head in his hands, he rolled his eyes and let out a grunt as he walked back down the hall towards the couch, unhappy with having to deal with Clara once again. She reminded him of a stain on one of his old shirts that he could never get rid of no matter what treatment he used.

The current news story was focusing on a case that was just solved, however, the reporter had twisted the story ridiculously, as usual. Even though the reporter continued on with his nonsense, Horatio grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. off, leaning back and placing both of his hands over his face. Running them down and letting them fall to his sides as if they were attached to sandbags, he mumbled, "Alright Jaws …..I need you to do me a favour …..and I hope that you're hungry." He wasn't normally one to say something like that, but when it came to Clara, _anything_ would work.

* * *

><p><em>Monday, 12:37 p.m.<em>

"_….They're gonna rip it off …..Taking their time right behind my back,"_ Veronica sang the words to 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes as it played on the radio, her hips swaying to the beat as her hands concentrated on drawing the flower in her sketchpad. The singer of the original song had quite a raspy voice, so she idly made it more smooth and feminine to match her strokes on the paper at the moment. "_And I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget …"_. What couldn't she forget? Horatio? The man that she met at the proposal? He was different, that was for sure …..but she liked it for some reason.

What she didn't know was that a certain someone had entered her store without her knowing, and had to struggle not to feast upon her luscious body moving in a gentle manner. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he crept around a table of bouquets in order to not disturb her.

"_Back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette …"_ She started to turn around as she continued to sing, "_And the message coming from my eyes says leave it aloOoookkayy."_ She froze on spot when she saw the familiar face looking back at hers and clutched the sketchpad to her chest. Thinking that she was the one to start talking, she asked, "Oh …Horatio. Hi. Uhm ….how long have you been ….there?" The thought that a man of her interest was watching her make a fool of herself was embarrassing, especially when he was a member of the MDPD.

He flashed a quick smile before replying, "No worries, I just walked in. Nothing to be embarrassed about …..may I ask what you're drawing?" The object in her hands was one of the first things that he noticed when he walked in, aside from the things that were a little more 'eye-catching'.

Veronica displayed hesitation, but worked up the courage to hand him the sketchpad timidly, one of her arms crossed over her abdomen, "It's not finished yet. I just ….like to draw ….whatever's on my mind." She bit the corner of her lip, watching as his eyes travelled all over the paper and not knowing what sort of a response she would receive.

Horatio looked over the pencil lines like it was a DNA result, following them as they flowed and ended where they needed to. With a soft smile and raise of his head, he said, "This is very good. Where did you learn to draw like this?"

"Excluding taking visual arts back in high school, you could say that I taught myself ….thanks, by the way," she took back the pad of papers when he offered it, meeting his gaze briefly and practically getting lost in it. _How does he always do that?_ she thought to herself. "So what can I help you with Horatio? Are you in need of a floral arrangement for a special someone?" She knew that there was no way that a man like him was single ….there was NO way.

"Uhm …First of all, I'm single. And …I just came to talk with you," he stood sideways, his focal point remaining on her face. It was common for him to take this position while having a long conversation with someone.

Veronica threw the sketchpad on the desk and and crossed her arms, a smile of disbelief on her face. "You came here ….to …._talk_ to me? That's it?" If it was true, she would be bashfully flattered, only because he was igniting feelings inside of her that she never knew she had. It was like she was back in grade school again, but the relationship was more mature.

"I-," Horatio attempted to find the appropriate way to say it. "I did."

"Ah ….that's ..nice," she looked down at her feet, self-conscious of revealing the blush that was rising to her cheeks. The fact that he was a _single_ lieutenant wanting to _talk_ to her took her straight to cloud nine. _Girl,_ she told herself, _he wants to talk to you. There's nothing special about that._ "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Of course, that question had to come up. It was the one question that he didn't want her to ask because it would force him to ask something else. "Erm …..I was wondering …if ….you had any plans for …lunch tomorrow?" Horatio's sentence came out broken. He hadn't asked a question like that it multiple years ….ever since Marisol's death. The thought of her made his heart break.

Veronica didn't exactly know what to say to his question immediately, and was unaware that her face became frozen with her mouth open ever so slightly. "Uh," was the sound that she could get out for a moment. After many long, agonizing seconds for Horatio, she broke out of her trance and replied, "Uhm ….no. No I don't ….are you wanting to have lunch with me?"

"I think that ….I think that that's what I'm trying to get at," Horatio let a grin arise. Without another word, he reached over to the card-holder on her desk and took one of her business cards, stuffing it into his pocket.

Veronica raised an eyebrow, "Now what do you need that for?" She asked that playfully.

He laughed deeply and started to walk out, "So that I can tell you when I'm coming to pick you up."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sakurabana: Chapter 4**

_Tuesday, 11:17 a.m._

Calleigh couldn't stop worrying about Horatio anymore. He was her friend, her mentor, her boss …but he was always appearing more solemn that he was when they first started working together. She had tried everything to bring him out of his misery, but no cure ever seemed to lift his scarred soul. Marisol was the demon behind it all. Well, she wasn't exactly a demon, but she was the one that caused Horatio's world to practically blow up right in front of his face like a balloon. Poor man …..he never asked for any of it to happen.

With a little 'ding', the elevator doors opened, and to her surprise, Horatio was waiting on the other side. Walking to his side she asked, "Where are you off to now? Looks like you're a little anxious about it." Calleigh could read his mind easier than anyone else could, and he knew that all too well from the times that she called him into a corner and had chats.

"I ..uh," Horatio had to twist the story, even though he had a feeling that the bride-to-be would know it, "I'm going …to have some lunch." That was actually true, but he just cut out the part about going with a woman.

"Lunch? I thought that you usually bring one with you and put it in the fridge?" Calleigh was onto him now, backing him into a corner that he would never get out of unless he spat out the truth.

"I usually do, but….this time it's different," he breathed out, moving away from her and into the elevator, attempting to find a way out of this situation as soon as possible. Horatio was never one to reveal his relationships to everyone all that quickly, especially before the first date. That was much too early for anyone to know that he had some feeling for a certain female out there in the world. He preferred to keep his relationships under the radar for safety reasons, and also because he was actually quite shy about it.

The elevator doors closed before Calleigh could ask anything else, causing her to roll her eyes and quietly mumble, "Dang it."

Horatio let out a sigh of relief, letting the back of his head rest against the wall of the elevator. It looked as if now, he had to stay as far away from the ballistics expert as possible in order not to spill out any information. She was his worst nightmare when he was trying to keep something to himself, and was the first one that truly noticed his mourning over Marisol.

He wouldn't have usually asked a woman out like he did Veronica that morning, but one thing hit him hard in the head last night. That thing was that he needed to let her go. Not entirely, no….he just needed to let her go enough so that he could live the rest of his life happily. Horatio would never be happy with the world itself and the way it is, but he _could_ live it better with someone by his side. Veronica was his first option, but maybe not his last. It all depended if it worked out or not. Did she even like him as a friend at this point? He wasn't exactly sure.

The other reason for him choosing to go to lunch with Veronica was the wrath of Clara Stone. She would never leave him alone unless she saw something that completely turned her off and away from the object of her interest. If Horatio even started to talk and see another woman often, Clara might just leave him alone. _Might_.

* * *

><p><em>11:45 a.m.<em>

Veronica lifted her head in a heartbeat, a smile breaking out on her face when she saw the red-headed man she was waiting for. "Hi Horatio. I'll just be second," she said, placing a few more flowers in a vase that she had almost filled.

"Not a problem," Horatio replied as he approached her, observing the creation that she was working on. "That's nice…..who is it for?"

"No one, actually. It's just for the display window for people like yourself to look at as you walk by," Veronica lifted the arrangement and started to make her way towards the front of the store, not forgetting to grab her purse on the way.

Deciding to jump into the unknown a little, Horatio casually said, "Well, I would be busy looking at something else even more beautiful." Oh lord, what did he just say?

"Really? What are you thinking o-," she put the vase down in the window and turned around, the most sarcastic look on her face. Veronica raised an eyebrow and pointed at him playfully, "Oh, be quiet you!"

Horatio chuckled deeply at her comment, knowing that she understood the meaning of what he had just said. He was relieved that she didn't say something like 'is that the best you can come up with', even though that's what she was probably thinking but didn't want to tell him.

Ignoring those current thoughts that swirled around in his head, he followed her towards his car and stopped to open the door for the woman he was about to take to lunch. He grasped the handle and pulled the door towards him, "Ladies first."

Veronica tilted her head as she took her seat in the Ford, "Thanks. Haven't had someone do that to me in a while." It was true. It was rare that she would come across _real_ men in the world…..the ones who would actually act like gentlemen. So many of the men that she had dated were the ones who would never help her with anything, not to mention that most of them expected sex on the first date. She could only hope that Horatio wasn't that type.

"It's my pleasure," he said, shutting the door and walking over to his side of the car. Veronica couldn't help but watch as he did, noticing that he carried himself in a far smoother manner than others his age. Well, she didn't exactly know how old he was, but he definitely was not young. The worry lines on his face and the little droop in his eyes signified that he must be unhappy about something. His deceased wife? She would never know, and was having a problem summoning the courage to ask.

By the time that she was pondering on the subject, Horatio had already started the car and noticed her 'in deep thought' look. "Veronica?" he asked.

She shook her head multiple times and put on a smile, turning to look at him directly, "Sorry….I zoned out there. Ready to go?"

"Ready to go," he repeated, stepping on the gas and sending the car down the street.

The drive to the restaurant was fairly quiet except for the idle talk of cars. It turned out that Veronica actually _liked_ Horatio's car, much to his surprise, considering that it wasn't the new and hip vehicle to have. She had never been a big fan of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, or the cars whose doors opened upwards, just because the owners were usually to full of themselves to care about anyone else. In her case, money wasn't everything. She also mentioned that she drove a silver Toyota Echo, which was almost like a miniature race car. It had quite a bit of 'umph' to it despite its size.

When they pulled into the parking space that was closest to the restaurant doors, Veronica was the first one to see her way over. Fact was that Horatio never told her where they were eating. When she recognized the setting and name, she glanced over at him, "_Casa Tua_? Interesting choice."

It actually took Horatio a lot of thinking and time to decide that they were going to go to Mari's favourite restaurant. It was already becoming hard for him, and just walking to the doors was becoming a challenge. Ever step that he took felt like one thousand miles, and the mere memory of the coming here multiple times made him want to turn around and drive Veronica back home. However, he wasn't that kind of person, and refused to listen to the part of his brain that revolved around past experiences. Instead, he focused on the future and where it would take him.

The duo made their way into the restaurant and were kindly escorted to a patio table resting just out of the sunlight, which was a relief since the heat radiating from that ball of fire was unbearable at the time.

A male waiter approached them soon after carrying a notepad and pen, but what Horatio noticed immediately was that his eyes were directed straight towards Veronica. More specifically, alternating between her lips and full bosom like a hungry lion stalking its prey. Yes, her sundress covered up more than enough, but that didn't stop Kevin (reference from nametag that Horatio noticed) from distracting himself in other ways.

Kevin started by saying, "Hello there, I'm Kevin and I'll be your waiter today." He turned towards Veronica instantly, "May I get the beautiful woman something to drink?"

She sighed and looked down at the drink menu quickly, "Hmmm…I think that I'll go with the mojito of the day." She placed the small booklet back beside the floral centerpiece consisting of a white lily and a small crystal vase that she adored.

"Excellent choice," he winked and raised his eyebrows twice, but was disappointed when he didn't get a reaction out of her. Veronica just continued to look at the flower, Kevin at Veronica, and Horatio at Kevin with eyes like a hawk's. He could tell, visually, when a man had set his sights on a woman only because he'd been through it before (not to mention that he was a CSI, after all). Horatio hadn't 'marked Veronica as his territory', but it was his instinct to become slightly defensive when another man was attempting to sway a woman that he was sitting directly across from. Marisol was completely out of the picture right now.

"You know what?" Horatio began, crossing his arms in front of himself, "I'll just have water, thank you."

Kevin's eyes narrowed down to slits as a slight "Hmph" came out of his closed mouth. After a fast glance at Veronica, he dashed back into the building, continuing to eye them both in different ways. With Veronica, it was lust and curiosity. With Horatio, it was competetiveness and a hint of jealousy.

Veronica looked down at the empty plate in front of her and smiled faintly, "I take it that you noticed as well."

"Absolutely," Horatio said, the word sounding more like a snarl. With no further words, he asked, "Veronica….I can just be…..very protective sometimes."

"That I understand. You're the lieutenant of the Miami Dade Police Department and see many people become the victims of horrible crimes daily. You live to protect and to serve," she blinked slowly, her ridiculously long eyelashes clearly touching her cheeks for a few seconds.

Horatio leaned on his forearms, which is probably the most used position by him when sitting in a chair with a table in front of him, "You know, it's the only thing that I know how to do." He knew that he'd used that line before with Anna when he knew her a few years ago. She vanished no more than two days after he said that.

Veronica shook her head, her eyebrows raised as high as they could, "No Horatio. I know that you know how to do much more than protect and serve, even though I've known you for a much shorter time than your team. I guarantee you that you will get the same answer from them." Her voice didn't sound anything like she was trying to debate with him, but more convincing and soothing. She refused to believe that his abilities were only revolving in the two words that he mentioned. A few certain abilities that he'd have breezed through her mind for mere moments, making her want to bite her lip and grin like a child that had just done something wrong, but others replaced those and made her want to shout them out. Changing the topic quickly, she asked, "Horatio, how old are you?"

"Uhm…you don't want to know," he tensed up instantly.

"Of course I do Horatio. I don't care if you say you're 40 or 77, I just want to know."

He let out a deep breath, and decided to come up with a deal, "If I tell you my age…..you have to tell me yours."

"You have yourself a deal," Veronica replied after thinking over the terms of the agreement multiple times.

_She's going to want to leave me on the street after this….._ Horatio was always a little embarrassed to tell women his age, even back in the days where he was dating Rebecca and Clara. Like a turtle trying to hide in its shell, he lowered his head and muttered, "55."

Veronica plastered her upper body against the table so that she could see his face at the angle it was currently in, "Really? I thought that you were 51….see? I don't care how old you are. I just care about the person that you are."

Horatio's head lifted immediately, "Now how old are you?" It was only fair that they exchanged ages.

"Ah ah ah," she pointed at him with a mischievous smirk on her face, "A woman never tells her age. You also never said that I had to tell you my age twenty seconds after you did. I could tell you ten years from now if I wanted…..You have to watch your wording more Horatio."

The rare look of shock plastered on him was tempting Veronica to run back to the shop and get the camera. His lips were parted, and his eyes were larger than usual with his gaze directed down at the cutlery. "I….uh….erm…." was all that he could manage to say. "Are you 29?"

At that number, Veronica practically gagged and started to laugh, "Do I really look that young? Because I'm much older than that." She was flattered, but was never one to prance around in her youthful looks and show it off like a supermodel.

Deciding how to put how he saw her, he simply said, "You're a very beautiful woman Veronica….I think that you should….uhm….I think that you should be aware of that." Horatio could barely keep his eyes off of her, but never had the same look as Kevin when he did. It was much more appreciative than wanting.

She had to fight a blush that was starting to rise to her cheeks, and noticed that a female waiter was assembling two drinks on a tray just behind the glass doors to the patio. "Thank you, Horatio….you can call me Vera, if you like." Veronica allowing others to call her by her short form was her way of saying that she had trust for that certain person. She wasn't exactly sure why she didn't like strangers calling her Vera, but it was the reason that she decided that she would allow certain people to call her that. It was mostly her female friends who gained that trust, as well as a few cousins and family members, but Horatio was the first of the men that she had dated after college to earn that kind of trust from her.

Flashing a warm smile with her words, he noticed that a waitress had replaced Kevin. "Well Vera, I think that we can be thankful that we have a much more welcoming host."

* * *

><p><strong>No worries...Kevin won't be coming back ;)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Sakurabana: Chapter 5**

_Saturday, 9:13 p.m._

Veronica and Horatio turned onto the short path leading to her downtown condo, the two of them thoroughly exhausted after their fifth time out together. Neither of them had managed to tell anyone that they were now seeing each other regularly, and preferred it to stay that way. For the their last few nights out, Veronica had decided to spark up a bit of comedy by bringing _him_ flowers instead of the other way around, making him want to return the favour. Unfortunately, all of the flowers he had brought her were from stores that _Flower Frenzy_ was competing with. She accepted them anyways, after all, it takes time and effort to go and pick up flowers for a lady you're seeing for a few hours. She had also learned that Horatio had a son who was currently in Afghanistan, as well as multiple ex-girlfriends and a sister in law and nephew who lived in Rio de Janeiro. However, in all of that conversation about his family, Veronica had never brought up the topic of his wife, Marisol, who he briefly mentioned in one sentence while explaining how he was related to a member of his own team.

Approaching the doors of the building, Veronica turned to Horatio with the swivel of her heels, "So water really does calm you….doesn't it?"

Horatio nodded slowly, "It does. I remember as a child, I always wanted to be a fish." His past wasn't exactly the happiest or most pleasant that it could be due to his father's abuse on his mother and himself. Yes, Ray would occasionally get the same treatment, but not nearly as much as his brother or mother. Eventually, the pain became too much, and he killed his father during a desperate attempt to save the woman that brought him into the world. After many of the beatings that he had lived through, he would find himself at the New York harbour staring out at the ocean and wondering how far it went. How far could he go before his past would catch up with him.

"We'll have to go swimming sometime," she giggled, "I'm just dying to see your beach bod." That last sentence was more than true. Veronica would occasionally have her little fantasies now and then that involved him. Nothing serious, but just some simple things such asseeing him without a shirt on or having him embrace her from behind. In the midst of all of them, there would always be the one where he would kiss her, but she could never quite complete the thought. She figured that it was too early in their relationship to worry about such a thing.

"Uhm," Horatio didn't only feel heat rise to his face, but to his entire body. Like his age, he was always hesitant when it came to showing off his body. He wasn't exactly the lean and extraordinarily fit man that he used to me, but there were two other elements that caused him to be so sensitive. "That….that sounds great." He would just wear a t-shirt. Nothing wrong about that on a beach, is there?

"Excellent. I'll have to pull out my best swimsuit for it then. So when are you available to go to the beach?" she asked.

He didn't have to think for more than a second before answering with, "Tomorrow night is fine with me. Are you alright with that, Vera?" Horatio had instantly adopted her nickname soon after she allowed him to use it, but would sometimes call her by her full name.

She bobbed her head up and down, the faint smile on her face convincing him that she was sure of her decision. "Absolutely." Then, she did something that Horatio didn't expect her to do anytime soon. She gently took his hands in hers and stood on the tips of her toes so that she was somewhat face to face with him. Leaning forwards, she placed a light kiss on the upper corner of his cheek, almost on his ear. "Thank you."

Horatio had never known that such a chaste gesture could be so overpowering. It felt like an electric shock had travelled all over his face faster than wildfire, and his senses went on severe overdrive. All he could feel was the softness of her lips on his sensitive skin and the luscious femininity of her calming voice. The gentleman in him said to accept it as a loving gesture from a woman, but his pure masculine side wanted to move her mouth over and down just a little. Her fingers being intertwined with his also didn't exactly help with his mental battle.

When she slowly lowered herself onto her feet once again and moved her face farther away from his, she finished with, "I guess that I'll see you tomorrow. Am I driving? Or are you?" It was clearly evident that her little kiss on the cheek had taken its toll on him. The mere look on his face described his thoughts more than words could. However, all was almost the same with her, for she was debating whether to just kiss him properly right then and there instead.

"I-I will….drive," Horatio stuttered, still fairly shocked from the last movement done by the woman of his interest. Problem was, she looked so goddamn gorgeous right now….her soft wavy hair was tousled, her lipstick was semi-faded, and her form-fitting dress could make any man stare for days. Starting to turn around, he concluded their conversation, "Till tomorrow at seven."

Veronica waved briefly before turning around and heading into the lobby, her heels clacking on the tile floor. Her legs felt like they were going to give in on her any minute, and she found herself practically waddling towards the elevator like a tired penguin. All she wanted now was a bed, but of course, that brought along other thoughts with it… _Lady, slow down right now. He's probably not even thinking the same about you._

Jack, the janitor who always came out to work at this time, came to stand beside her, "He looks like a nice man."

"He is," Veronica replied as the elevator doors opened, "He really is."

"Glad to know him?" Jack propped the broom up on the side of the wall, as if he wanted to begin a long, friendly conversation with her. They would occasionally talk when they crossed paths, but Jack had a wife and three young children, so Veronica had no worries whatsoever.

"Yes….Yes, he's very caring and wonderful to be around," she stepped into the small box and pushed the button for level six.

Jack took his broom in hand once again, his gaze expressing concern, "Alright. Just be careful." He watched as the doors covered her face, and the elevator was sent on its way up. The moment he noticed the man Veronica was talking to, he realized who he was. Lieutenant Horatio Caine, also known as the best cop in Miami. That re-enforced her protection, yes, but Jack knew that the man carried many bad things along with him. Criminals, inner demons, they all had to be in him somewhere, and it was just a matter of them finding their way out. Jack would keep an eye on her now, just to make sure that everything was alright.

One thing was odd at the moment though. Why was Horatio's car still parked on the curb?

Horatio was still standing on his first step to Cloud 9, wanting to run the whole staircase now just to convince himself that he's moved on from Marisol. Problem was, that she always came back to him after he saw Veronica. Perhaps it was the feeling of being around a woman who sparked his romantic interests once again? It was like he was with Marisol all over again….the chasteness, the unknown reason why he was attracted to her, she appearing to be so carefree….all of it. This scared him. This scared him because that relationship ended in disaster. Before he knew it, he was back on the ground and the Cloud 9 that was once high in the sky was now beyond his reach.

Slamming the door of his car and reclining in the seat, his head fell forwards to stare at the steering wheel. Surprisingly, though, there was a small folded note attached to it by a piece of tape. On the front, it read '_from Vera'_. "Huh," he breathed out, reaching for the rear view mirror and adjusting it.

He then saw a pair of eyes illuminated by the streetlights and moonlight eyeing him from the back seat. Watching. Waiting. Like a cat. The harsh eyeliner was sweeping out from the upper lids and angling upwards towards the temples of the beholder. Horatio knew them immediately, and directed his gaze straightforward. "How did you get in?"

The sly laugh came from behind him, "You forgot to lock the doors this time. That's very unlike you." Clara smiled like the Cheshire cat, the edges of her lips appearing to reach her ears, "But I don't mind."

"What….may I ask….are you doing in my car?" he gripped the steering wheel, attempting to squeeze out his anger by firmly holding onto something. Who knew if Veronica was watching him from the lobby, wondering why his car was still there. Was it possible that she saw Clara's silhouette in the back seat? Hopefully not.

"Why don't you start driving and I'll tell you on the way," she suggested.

Horatio turned around completely, resting his arm against the side of the seat and twisting his upper body around it to face her directly, "Why don't you tell me now so that I can have a nice drive home. Alone."

Clara snorted, tucking her strands of maroon-coloured hair behind her ears in order to emphasize her expressions of disappointment. "Fair enough lieutenant. You win. I wanted to talk to you." She said it ever so simply, as if it was nothing important. "That is all."

He narrowed his eyes, "About what? Clara, what is so important that you have to get into my car to talk to me about?"

She thought for a second, but then crossed her legs and arms, an eyebrow raised. "She's pretty."

"How-," Horatio stopped abruptly. He knew exactly what she meant by 'she', and his protective mode switched on fully. Clara had obviously seen him with Veronica this evening, and she could have even seen them together nights earlier. Just the situation that he was in now was more than enough. "What do you want Clara?"

"You like her Horatio. I can tell as easily as telling wood from fire," her voice turned low, but not seductive. She was teasing him through words, "You're sensing that familiar but long lost connection to a member of the fairer sex. Your body misses that, doesn't it? Your mind begs for it in the caverns of your mind that you stay out of on a daily basis due to long hours and the stressful job. You try to stay out of them and remain the good man that you are, but when you're with her, everything is slowly starting to change, isn't it? You're struggling to not let go. Admit it Horatio. Deep down inside, you want her for yourself."

His eyes had gradually lowered down to look at the floor, feeling every word that she said pass through his mind like cream. It was like Clara wasn't his ex-girlfriend right now, but a woman who could read his mind, for the most part. "No."

"No?" she questioned. "How so?"

Horatio took a deep breath, "I don't want her to die. I don't want her to die like the others."

Clara let her head rise and fall gently, her eyelids closing briefly, "I understand. All of the lovers that you once had have perished, so you want to keep her safe…..therefore, I will give you two options."

"Options?" he broke out of his little space of sadness. "Since when were there options from _you_, Clara?" Fact was, she was actually true. Horatio was attempting to keep her from falling into the pit of death that the other had years ago. He blamed himself for it. All of it. He didn't want another innocent soul to wash down the drain because of his unnecessary carnality.

"Now." She answered briefly, receiving no response from him afterwards. "Option 1, you get rid of Vera yourself."

"DON'T," his voice pounded through the interior or the car, "Don't….call her Vera."

Clara shrugged her shoulders, accepting his request. "Alright. Or Option 2, I deal with _Veronica_ myself. Which one, Horatio? Which one would you like to choose. If I was you, I'd choose the first."

Horatio leaned in closer to her, being careful to not get too far into her space. With a quiet 'click', he said, "You know what? I'm going to go with Option 3."

"And what might Option 3 be?"

"Get out of my car."

And that she did. Without a word, Clara hopped out of the car and slammed the door behind her as she began strolling down the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, Horatio thought over every word that she had just said, and they were all proving to be a little stressful. In a desperate attempt to clear his mind of her, he opened the note that Vera had left him on the steering wheel, and read…..

_Find the square root of 1269 ;) _


	6. Chapter 6

**Sakurabana: Chapter 6**

_Sunday, 10:42 a.m._

"35.62302626111375," Frank stated, looking back up and Horatio and handing back the paper to him. "I got the same answer that you did, Horatio…..but why are you interested in finding the square root of 1269?"

Horatio sighed, taking the paper back and being careful not to reveal the writing on the front of it. That would just reveal his entire secret relationship. "I…uhm….it's for personal reasons." Francis was one of a his closest friends, but Horatio didn't feel like telling anyone about Veronica and him quite yet, even when they were this close.

Frank dropped his hands to his sides before making his way down the hall, "Alright. You know where to find me if you need to double check answers for those dang math problems." The Texan shook his head and turned the corner towards the interrogation rooms, his eyes sharp and straightforward like they usually were.

"Alright Vera," Horatio spoke quietly to himself, "Why would you ask me to find the square root with an answer containing more than seven decimals? I was thinking…..that it was your age…..but this makes it extremely confusing." He stuffed the paper in his pocket, "Or you could just be 35 years and six months old."

* * *

><p>Veronica handed a ridiculously large arrangement over to her current customer, one who had waited for this to be completed all day, "Here you are Mr. DeBlanc. Five red roses, seven white lilies and six pink mums. Did I miss anything?" The order had cleaned her right out of white lilies, disappointing many clients throughout the day.<p>

Mr. DeBlanc shook his head, a wild grin on his face as he looked down at the bouquet as if it was his child. "Of course not," he replied, his French accent evident, "You are the best florist in Miami that I have come across. You never get _anything _wrong."

"Thank you," Veronica couldn't help but blush at his complement, even though she'd gotten many of them from others over the years since the shop opened. "I hope that you have a great anniversary."

"We sure will, thanks to these beautiful flowers of yours. Have a good day, Veronica," he said, leaving with his hand waving above his head. His wife would absolutely adore the flowers, and he was sure of it.

Leaning back against the desk, Veronica closed her eyes and let out a deep breath while relaxing her shoulders completely. Today was going to be great. She was positive of it. Going to the beach with Horatio would prove to be a different kind of experience for them, and Veronica attempted to hide her excitement all day. He was making her melt on spot every time his voice switched to that deep and sensual tone that she loved dearly. His hair was ridiculously tempting as well. She couldn't count how many times she wanted to run her hands through it endlessly and tousle it around. The thought of him without a shirt on also sparked her imagination to the point where she was almost daydreaming. Sure, he wasn't like some of the 'ripped' men that she had dated earlier in her life, but she was looking forward to it nonetheless.

The topic of swimsuits also came up, and it was regarding to her. She'd been shuffling through her options that morning and was stuck in a debate between a sexy, yet modest bikini, and a v-neck opened back one-piece. They both belonged to her best attire when it came to swimming, and it was proving to be a difficult task to decide which one she would wear. Veronica already knew Horatio fairly well (he would never interrupt a person if they are in the middle of a story, he'd listen to everything that she said as if it was a matter of life and death, he'd usually listen with his forearms sitting on a solid surface in front of him with his eyes looking up intently, he disliked bananas, etc.), but choosing something to wear ended up being worse than choosing between chocolate and fudge.

It turned out that Veronica was so deep in thought that she didn't even hear the doorbell chime as an old high school friend of hers wandered in. She stayed near the walls of the shop, inching her way towards the florist like a chameleon would an insect. When she finally made her way to Veronica's back, she decided to have a bit of fun with it. Leaning forwards, she whispered in Veronica's ear, "Boo."

"What!" she spun around instantly. If there was one thing that Veronica absolutely hated, it was being startled. When she saw the face of the woman standing before her, she had to take a moment to examine it thoroughly, cheekbones and all. With the parting of her lips, she whispered, "Clara? Clara Stone? Sweet C?"

Clara smiled widely and nodded, "Sweet C. Friends with Veronica Campbell from freshman to senior year."

Veronica had almost frozen on spot when she remembered her life in high school and the drama that came with it. Clara had taken her under her wing, and along with a few others, they had formed some sort of a clique. They weren't the popular or rude ones, no, they were the girls who minded their own business and strove for good grades. However, during those four years, many things changed. The difficulty of subjects, the expectations from others, their bodies and emotions…..but Clara changed dramatically. She was no longer the kind girl who would help others with their homework, or take in the ones who were tagged as 'loners'. She became the woman who lived for drama, revolved around sex, competed for popularity, and scrambled towards anyone with good looks and money. One by one, members of their clique were flicked off by Clara, until only Veronica and a girl named Samantha were left. It turned out that she felt that the two of them were the prettiest of the bunch, and that she couldn't be seen wandering the halls with such pathetic excuses for feminine beauty. Veronica wanted to leave then…..she wanted to run away from Clara and never come back…..but she knew that if she did, she would be washed away in the waves of disappointment and cold shoulders. That was the last thing that she wanted.

However, one day, she got her chance. All during the hustle and bustle, Veronica caught her boyfriend at the time (well, she could call him a boyfriend) flirting with Clara like it was no one's business. Without hesitation, Veronica walked over, looked Clara and told her briefly 'I'm done'. That was the end of it, and the end of the school year. The two never saw each other after then, until now.

"How…uhm," Veronica held her lips together, "How did you find me?"

"There were rumours going around of an extraordinary florist in downtown Miami whose name is Veronica Campbell. I simply had to give into my curiosity," Clara replied, adjusting her skirt so that it now faced forward _exactly_. She was a precise woman, so everything had to be just right.

Shrugging her shoulders, Veronica turned away and started to move certain arrangement around on the shelves they were placed on, "So you wanted to see me. Why? I thought that I made it clear that we weren't friends anymore all those years ago."

"I know," she paused, twisting her mouth into the most awkward position, "But I wanted to ask you if we could try this again. You were a great person to be around and talk with back then Vera-,"

"Veronica."

Clara rolled her eyes while the florist wasn't watching, "You were a great person to be around and talk with back then Veronica, and I want your trust back. I'm a changed woman, and I admit it, I was a bitch back in school…..but that was a house of hormones, and you know that. All I want to be able to do is talk to you again like we used to." Clara knew that this was a risky way to get what she wanted in the end, but it was as good a plan as any. It just happened to be her lucky night last night. The moment that she saw the espresso hair and soft eyes, she knew that her goal would be ten times easier to reach.

Crossing her arms and turning around, Veronica raised an eyebrow, "You know that if that happens, there will still be that invisible thorn in between us from what you did with Brandon." Brandon was the name of her boyfriend back then, and when she caught Clara with him, her heart split in two. No, she never felt _true_ lust for him, but he was the first young man that she ever had deep feelings for.

She blinked ever so slowly, "I'm more than aware of that. All I'm asking is that we start talking like we used to again." Clara pulled the two chopsticks out of her bun and twirled them around in her fingers, "So what do you say?"

"Hmmm," Veronica sighed, going over the facts in her head. Clara appeared different, but she wasn't entirely sure whether she was just playing one of her ridiculous roles. Making the mistake of trusting her if she was faking it all could be one of the worst decisions of her life. Turning towards her once again, she asked, "Clara, what do you _really _want?"

"What do you mean?" Clara chuckled, but nervously. She had to keep her poker face on.

Veronica's lips rested in a flat line, "I mean is there something that you aren't telling me? Why would you walk into my store on a random date at a random time asking for me to start talking to you again after surviving more than 15 years without."

This made Clara stop her motions with the chopsticks in her hands abruptly, her eyes narrowing, "You know that Sweet C's opinions change very rapidly."

"And how do I know that they won't change again?"

"I guarantee you that they won't," Clara flashed her classic, innocent smile, "All you have to do is trust me."

* * *

><p><strong>Had to end that conversation there ;) So how will this twist change the outcome of Horatio and Veronica's growing relationship? Something is likely to go wrong...<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Sakurabana: Chapter 7**

_Sunday, 6:58 p.m._

_Veronica hesitated, her hands in fists, "Talk. I won't consider you a friend. Not until I'm convinced."_

_ "Fair enough," Clara said, sticking the chopsticks back in her bun, but now diagonally pointing through it, "I'm not going to force you into anything. You know that."_

_ "Do I?" she raised her brows, drumming her fingers against the counter._

_ Clara tilted her head and grinned, "You will."_

* * *

><p>Rubbing her forehead while standing in front of the mirror, Veronica went over that brief dialogue over and over again in her mind. Had she made the right decision? The only way she would find that out was with time….lots and lots of time. It took more than enough of that to make the choice to even talk to Clara once again. She had sworn that she had stood there for over five minutes, just watching the conflict of emotions in her eyes.<p>

Veronica turned sideways, making sure that there were no imperfections with the one-piece v-neck swimsuit that she had chosen over the bikini due to her feeling that it was too revealing for only their sixth date. She wasn't one to rush, but she wasn't one to take her time when it came to a relationship. Going too quickly could result in disaster later on, and moving too slowly could drag the stage of the relationship on forever. She sighed and tousled her hair, her eyelids drooping while she thought _I look horrible in everything_. However, she knew that men were attracted to her like bears would honey, and that it was her decision to not wear makeup to the beach tonight. Veronica wanted to test and see if Horatio was really going out with her because of who she was, and not just her looks. Even though fairly confident that he was, she had to make sure.

Hearing a loud, but polite knock on the door, she was swept in a state of panic because she was still only in her bathing suit. She couldn't go in a car like this! Veronica dashed over to her dresser, opening and closing drawers, fumbling through clothes, and tossing the wanted garments on the floor. She was very well aware that she was making quite a bit of noise, enough so that it sounded like she was being attacked in there.

"Veronica?" came Horatio's questioning voice from behind the door, "Are you okay in there?"

"Fff….ugh….I'm fine!" Veronica struggled to speak normally while tugging on some khaki shorts and a navy blue t-shirt. It was her normal apparel, and would probably change the way her date looked at her due to him always seeing her work clothes. No makeup, no heels, no hairspray, no fancy clothes….this was her. This was the real Veronica.

Horatio waited outside in the hall patiently, listening to constant shuffling and a few slams here and there. What was the woman doing? Assembling a machine gun? Was there another man in there? He hoped not, especially after five dates and attempts to let Marisol become a memory instead of a controller of his life.

Looking down at his clothing, he snorted, figuring that he should have worn pants instead of swim trunks. In his self-conscious opinion, he thought that he could blind someone with the paleness of his skin. God, it looked like he lived in a basement all his life eating chalk rather than driving around the sunny city of Miami day after day. He could easily pass for one of those vampires that teenagers gushed over nowadays. Last time he checked, though, he didn't have fangs.

Without warning, the door flew open in front of him and a gust of air was felt on his face. "Whoaew!" he took a little jump back from surprise, his eyes looking a little bigger than they would have been. The door swung back until it was about a foot away from the frame, and Veronica peeked from around the side, "Sorry… I didn't mean to startle you."

At first, Horatio wasn't entirely sure what to think or say when he saw her face without any coloring on the eyes or lips that he was used to. However, he found her more beautiful now than she ever was. She was still the gorgeous woman that he'd met at _Dmitri's_ who carried the bouquet in front of her like it was a giant baby. "You look…..amazing."

"What?" she giggled, stepping out from behind the door and holding it behind her. "I don't understand. I'm just…well….what I'm in when I'm watching TV." Veronica gently brushed some black and grey fur off of her shirt, catching it with her other hand so that it wouldn't float down to the floor.

Horatio lifted the corners of his mouth, "You look amazing anytime….even when you're rolling out of bed in the morning…I'm sure of it."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Do you get a humungous ladder and look into my window every morning to see what I look like when I roll out of bed?" She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall with her leg crossed over the other. Veronica was well aware that she looked more like a zombie the moment she stretched her arms above her head at seven a.m.

"Uhm…no," he looked down, his tone on the humorous side. "Where is the fur on your shirt coming from? Is there someone I should know about?"

"Oh! Why don't you come on in and I'll show you?" Veronica smiled and vanished behind the door, pushing it open for him to step in. He was hesitant, at first, but was soon walking down the hall like it was a sidewalk. The apartment was as simple as it could get: four doors spread evenly on two walls and one door at the end of the walkway of hardwood which was, of course, the bathroom. Judging by the sounds coming from his left, Horatio suspected that the first door was the kitchen. From inside, he could hear metal objects moving around, and cupboards being opened and closed.

"Ben? Jerry?" she called out, making her way across the hall into the living room after sharing a quick glance with Horatio. "Where are you silly fur balls?" Veronica raised her head over the couch and reached down one arm, "There you are! Get out from back there and say hello to Horatio."

Out from behind the large piece of furniture came two moderate sized cats, one black and one grey each trotting into the hall at their own pace. The black one was slightly larger than the other and led the way towards the red-headed stranger. _Meow_, it merely cooed. Horatio shifted his head to the side and squatted down in front of it, "Hey there." The cat timidly approached his knees, taking short and uneven steps towards him as the mysterious man gently held out his hand. It poked at it with its nose, just to make sure that all was all right before gently licking a finger as a way to double check. He was rewarded by the man running his palm over his fur, causing a deep purr to reverberate in the air.

Veronica knelt down to Horatio's current height and started to pet the grey cat that had strode over to her side, "It looks like Ben has taken a liking to you. He's usually more cautious before letting a stranger touch him." She had watched as she had brought multiple friends over, all of them being shunned by Ben until their fifth or so visit. Jerry, on the other hand, was more social than any cat she had come across. You could blink and he would already by walking around your feet.

"So I take it that Jerry is the grey one there…..am I correct?" Horatio asked, stroking Ben's back once again and feeling the soft fur move under his hand. He could tell already that this was one of the cleanest cats he'd ever met, even though it had just walked out from behind a couch. He chuckled, "I never knew that I could be so good with…cats."

"I think that Ben believes you have magical hands, Horatio," Veronica suddenly bit her lip as she truly went over what she'd just said. Magical hands? That sounded promising….and not just for a cat…..

He gave the cat one last stroke before reaching into his pocket, his expression changing as he pulled out a piece of paper. "Perhaps I do…uhm," Horatio paused, turning the paper around, "I found this on my steering wheel last night. Is it by any chance saying that you're 35.62302626111375 years old?" It was a long shot, but he had to ask since it took up some of his time that morning.

At the speed of light, Veronica's eyes darted to the number on the note she left last night, widening with surprise and shock. She placed a hand over her mouth, "…Oh." How could she make that mistake? How could she make that _stupid_ mistake?

Horatio lowered his head, "Veronica, is something wrong?"

"No….no. Can I just have that paper for a second?" She accepted it as he handed it to her and dashed off into the living room once again where Horatio couldn't see her. Pulling out a pen, she wildly scribbled out 1269 and wrote in 1296, fixing her silly mix up of numbers when she needed to be precise. Closing her eyelids, she did the math in her head quickly before returning into the hall and handing the paper back, "Try that."

He knelt there for a moment, surprised to see her reacting so much over something so little. Maybe she was just nervous? He couldn't be sure…not now, at least. Taking a quick glance at the now fixed note, he noticed that she had changed the number that he was to find the square root of. "I take it that this will give me a better answer?"

"Yeah," Veronica chuckled, a faint smile now noticeable, "Two numbers like that are very easy to mix up." Easy to mix up they were. She knew exactly why she had mixed them up in the first place, but revealing that information to Horatio would just be downright embarrassing. She could say that certain numbers have hidden meanings, but he was a CSI, so he would find out all too easily and she would be tarnished for life.

"I know all too well," Horatio simply replied before figuring out the problem mentally. He could have asked for a calculator, but why when he could just do it on spot? When he figured out the answer, he grinned widely and met her gaze, "Now, 36 sounds much better."

"It does, lieutenant. So now that we've all met each other and fixed that little reason for confusion, why don't we get down to that gorgeous water?" Veronica asked, a little glint of excitement in her eyes. It appeared that Horatio didn't care about how she looked as her true self, which boosted her self-esteem around him to the maximum. She'd spent year after year looking for a man who would do that, and it looked like her searching had finally paid off. Even if their relationship didn't become romantic, she had found someone that made her feel important inside and out.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there's the filler chapter for you!<strong>

**Sorry about the wait for this chapter (I was busy for the past 3 days), but it IS a taste of what's to come. The chapters that I've published were finished before I put them here...but now, you'll have to wait until I write the chapters out...which takes a while. Please be patient, and I'll get chapters here ASAP. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the long wait. My August has been incredibly busy, and my year will be even busier. I will still try to get chapters out ASAP, but it just may take a bit more time because I will have limited time to write.**

* * *

><p><strong>Sakurabana: Chapter 8<strong>

_Sunday, 7:17 p.m._

Horatio's original plan was to take Veronica to the South Beach area, but after thinking many important issues through about going there, he changed his mind and drove to a smaller beach just outside of downtown. He had gone there occasionally with Ray Jr. and Yelina after work when they lived there, but now it was just a place that he drove by on his way home. A small crowd was there when they arrived, but nothing too extreme. A family with four young children was frolicking in the shallow water and few singles and duos were simply relaxing in the nearing sunset. The sky was a mix of orange and pink, the light creating sparkles on the water making it look like a professional watercolour painting.

When Horatio released his foot from the gas pedal and turned off the engine, he took a deep breath and turned towards her, "Here we are."

"It's gorgeous here," Veronica's gaze travelled all over the horizon, memorizing every detail and planting it in her memory. "I've never been to this beach, but I love it more than all of the others. Not so many people here." Crowds would also annoy Veronica when they became ridiculous. The shouting, yelling, shuffling, and all else that came with them just didn't match her preference for quiet and peaceful things. She opened the door, propping her towel up under her arm and waiting for Horatio to come and join her where the sand crept up onto the grass. The tiny grains didn't feel like tiny stones, but more like very fine salt. Well, it was salt water, after all.

"So….where are we putting our things?" he asked.

Veronica let out a little hum as she surveyed the open areas on the sand bar which were abundant due to the lack of people there. Over on the far end where the beach vanished into various trees was a large space that no one appeared to be paying any attention to. She gingerly pointed over, "Why don't we go over there? Lots of space…..enough to have a volleyball game, don't you think?"

Horatio nodded, "That I do."

"Do you know how to play volleyball?" she asked, unable to hold herself back from wanting an answer to the question. At a first glance, though, he didn't seem like a sporty person. Maybe he jogged in the morning and evening? His job didn't allow much time for physical activity, and Veronica always wondered how he looked the way he did.

"Yes," he paused, starting to walk over to the area of choice for their towels and such, "But I haven't played since I was 32."

Veronica raised her eyebrows, surprised slightly by his answer. She would have thought that he hadn't played for longer, or that he didn't at all. "Wow. I guess we'll have to freshen up your skills then….arrange a game where you bring a friend or two or the other way around. We could hit the water after, too."

It took Horatio the stroll to their destination to answer Veronica's offer due to certain reasons that remained personal for him. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Taking her towel from him and laying it down on the ground, she furrowed her brows, "Why not? I highly doubt that you've developed a sudden allergy to team sports." Veronica laughed quietly, "Well, I have no idea….but there must be some reason behind that response." Throughout her evenings out with him, Horatio had always had a shyness that intrigued her. He'd hesitate before saying things about himself, and when he'd reach around her to guide her into the car, she would never feel his hand on her shoulder. Could he possibly be intimidated by her? Maybe scared? It was the last thing that she wanted. However, last night when she took his hands in hers and displayed affection towards him, he tensed, but didn't show any signs of possible discomfort. Horatio was a mystery to her….and she loved it.

"I-I…ahm….I'll tell you later, okay?" he forced a smile, but swore that he was sweating buckets down his back. She'd figure it out eventually….whether it was her doing or another method. How would she react? Would she dump him the moment his reasons were revealed? Horatio was comfortable around her, yes, but never when the topic of his self-consciousness was brought up among _anyone_. It didn't matter who, but he'd always steer away from it.

"Fine," Veronica sighed, reaching for the hem of her shirt and beginning to pull it up and over her upper body, "But you'll have to spit it out eventually….or I'll have to find out myself." With a playful wink and a wide grin, she yanked the t-shirt over her head and tossed it down on her towel. It was closely followed by her shorts.

Horatio's eyes, at the moment, felt like two metallic objects that were being pulled towards a magnet that was hard to ignore: attraction. He had seen Veronica in fairly form-fitting clothes, but in a skin tight garment that displayed her like she was on a pedestal was most definitely something new and impossible to look away from. Her body was amazing for her age, her legs and torso still resembling those of a 27 year old. It was no wonder Horatio guessed her to be that age….any man would. The v-neckline displayed not much, but more than enough to drag men's eyes in and keep them there in wanting.

Veronica had absolutely no problem translating Horatio's facial reaction into a simple response. "I take it you like the suit?" she had to keep herself from giggling due to probably knowing exactly what he was thinking at the moment.

"Yes." Horatio closed his mouth instantly after realizing that he practically shouted that. He then whispered, "Yes."

"Great! I wasn't sure whether to pick this one or a bikini."

_A bikini? Thank the lord she didn't pick that….my eyes would have grown legs and walked right over_. Horatio nodded, rubbing his head idly in attempt to calm his thoughts.

After moments of silence and no movement between the two, Veronica contorted her face slightly and put one hand on her hip, "Aren't you coming? I see that you already have your trunks on." She casually pointed at his legs.

"Uhm," Horatio gritted his teeth, thinking of the simplest and best way to explain that he wasn't planning on swimming this evening. "I'm fine. I don't need to cool off." He looked down at the ground, attempting to hide his face from her.

"Horatio…Horatio, look at me," Veronica sat down beside him, placing both her hands on his shoulders and gently turning him towards her. She lifted his chin, causing him to look her straight in the eye, "I want you to understand that whatever it is that you're trying to hide….that….that it's okay to tell me. Whatever it is."

He closed his eyes, unsure of whether she would keep her word when the answer escaped his mouth. "You'll...You'll change your mind." Horatio muttered, his confidence that usually shone like a ray of light now just a little spark in the darkness.

Then, to his surprise,the unthinkable happened.

Without showing any signs of hesitation, Veronica leaned forward just enough to let her lips graze over his. There was no lust or carnal wanting evident in the sudden movement, but a simple sign of trust and security was what was felt between the two. It was probably the most chaste kiss that either of them had ever experienced.

Mere seconds later, she pulled away with the most concerned look on her face. What had she just done? She didn't plan to do that...it was like her body just moved itself without her brain's permission. "Horatio I...Sorry." She turned away opened mouthed, going over all of the possible outcomes of how he could dump her for that mistake.

Why did she pull away? Horatio admitted to himself that he didn't mind the kiss one bit when it was being executed, and wanted so much to feel the softness of her lips on his once again...the movement that ended his many years of non-intimacy. However, afterthoughts were a different matter entirely. Marisol. He had betrayed her, hadn't he? Oh lord...what had he just done? What did Veronica just do? Wait. Did he just hear her say something? Agh...there were too many important questions.

Then a single thought occured to him: If he enjoyed their first kiss, and wanted to move on from Marisol when he decided to date her...then wasn't this a step in the right direction?

"No," he said, shaking his head and raising his eyebrows. "No, don't be sorry."

Veronica cautiously turned her head, noticing that he was displaying compassion towards her just by his eyes. "Why? I should be. I caught you by surprise...and besides...we're moving too fast."

With a deep sigh,Horatio responded to her statement. "You may be right about us moving a little quickly...but that doesn't offend me at all as you think it does."

"You mean that?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he smiled warmly, trying to convince her that it wasn't the breaking point of their relationship.

Veronica couldn't help but chuckle at her next request, "Well, that's a relief...but I think that I should...um...control myself a little more. I admit that I kind of just...fell on you there."

"You know," Horatio began, holding his lips together, "I would say that I'd help you there but...I don't think that I'd be much help."

Veronica bobbed her head in agreememt, the earlier topic of their conversation coming back into play. "But Horatio, it's true about me not really worrying about whatever you're hiding. You don't have to hide anything from me."

"I just really don't think that you should worry about it right now." There was actually reason behind that statement. Horatio felt that anything that had any probability of causing problems in their relationship shouldn't be spoken of. Yet, at least.

"Tell you what…I won't worry about it right this instant…but you must promise to tell me before Calleigh and Eric's wedding," she raised a quizzical eyebrow, "Do we have a deal?"

He tilted his head, a smile reappearing on his face, "We have a deal…but Veronica….I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What's your favourite flower?" Horatio had wanted to ask that question for as long as he knew Veronica, after all, she lived around flowers every day. It was also an opportunity for the classic 'guy gives girl flower that she loves'.

"Sakurabana," Veronica replied quickly.

Horatio leaned back, observing her features to see her response to, "In English, please."

She lifted the corner of her mouth, "Cherry Blossom." Looking out at the horizon, she continued, "Japanese flower that grows on a tree. You can't grow them here, but they are one of the most delicate flowers, in my opinion. They're actually a metaphor for life in the Japanese culture…..I learned that and how to say it in the language from an old acquaintance."

"They suit you well," Horatio responded, generating a grin from her soon afterwards.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, the kiss was a bit early, but I assure you that they won't be hopping into bed anytime soon. ;)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Shorter chapter this time...but hopefully...it satisfies you just the way the others did :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Sakurabana: Chapter 9<strong>

_Monday, 2:17 p.m._

"I don't know….maybe I should try on the next one?" Calleigh turned sideways, observing the way that the wedding gown slimmed her waist and flared at the hip. However, she still didn't feel like it was _the_ one. She had been shopping for the dress for an hour now along with Natalia and Vera (who Calleigh chose to be a bridesmaid because there was one extra groomsman). "This makes my thighs look enormous."

Natalia sighed deeply, extending her arms, "Calleigh, you look amazing! This dress is, by far, my favourite out of all the ones you've tried on."

Calleigh knew that her friend meant every word that she said, but she had to be sure, "Veronica, what do you think?"

It took a few moments for Veronica to respond, only because she had to look over her thoughts on the dress. The beading was nice, along with the invisible corset that hugged Calleigh's waist like an elastic would foam….but the sweetheart strapless neckline didn't do a thing for her, nor did the pleating at the bottom of the dress. Overall, it was a nice dress that had its pros and cons, so it was up to the bride. "In all honesty, I can't exactly comment. It has its good things, but bad things as well. You're the fiancée, so it's your choice whether you want it or not." Calleigh was a gorgeous woman, there was no doubt about that and Eric being a lucky man, but there was probably another dress in the store that looked ten times better on her.

"Well….I like it and all…..but I'm going to try on the other one. Be right back!" Calleigh chirped, vanishing around the corner and heading to the dressing room with the bridal consultant.

"I may have been happy when I chose my wedding dress," Natalia started, "But she's MUCH more cheerful than I was….but…I guess it makes sense. I divorced Nick one year later, after all." She was glad that she divorced him at the time. He abused her like there was no tomorrow, but that one afternoon when she had to unpack his things after he died, she finally realized that their time together was all that she could ask for.

Veronica nodded, remembering when Natalia told the story about her and Nick. "Makes all too much sense."

"Yeah….but Vera, where on earth were you last night? I called your place, like, ten times and you didn't pick up. Very unlike you, if you ask me," she lowered her brows, crossing her arms and leaning back in the metal chair that was provided for those who accompanied the brides to be. It wasn't all that comfortable, though. The back dug into Natalia's spine like it was a piece of hardwood.

"Uhm," Veronica hesitated, debating whether to tell Natalia the entire truth about her dating Horatio, or if she could twist it a little bit. More so, the kiss. "Well, I was at a beach." True.

"A beach? Doing _what_? Since when do you go to beaches?"

She tensed her shoulders, "To go swimming." True again.

Natalia raised an eyebrow, "At…..seven at night….?"

"I was with someone." Still true.

"Who?"

"Uhm," Veronica paused, "Someone….private." Now she was on the fence. When she managed to catch a glimpse of Natalia's expression to her response, she wasn't surprised. She probably had the most sarcastic look on her face that Veronica had seen in her life. Biting her lip, she peeped, "Yes…..?"

Natalia crossed her arms, "You're going to have to tell me Vera…..I'll figure it out eventually. I did that with your few past boyfriends in the past 3 years that you dumped so quickly that I could have missed the relationship if I blinked."

Just as Calleigh started to emerge from the dressing room with a wicked grin on her face, Veronica whispered, "Well, I guess you're going to have to figure that out yourself."

* * *

><p>Clara drummed her fingers against the patio table, her nails clicking against the metal surface, "I need your help."<p>

"With what?" the woman questioned, still unsure of Clara even thought she had known her for quite some time. She pursed her lips, "I don't understand why you need help."

"I need your help to get a person of my interest alone with me…without the watchful eyes of another following her every move," Clara replied simply, her eyes blinking slowly and calmly. If she was to persuade this woman to help her, she had to put on the right disguise.

She looked away, "Who is the person?"

"Veronica Campbell." Placing a photo of her down, Clara sat back farther in her chair. "She's a friend of mine that I must discuss personal matters with."

The woman picked up the picture, observing every inch of it and nodding casually. Setting it down, she continued, "And the other?"

Clara's fingers stopped their movement instantaneously, an eerie silence following in their path. With the curve of her lips, she replied, "Lt. Caine." She said it with both disgust and admiration, because she felt both at the same time when he came into her mind. On one side, disgust, because of how he had let her go. On the other, admiration, because she still had feelings for him.

Like a bolt of lightning, the woman jumped out of her chair, "No. No, I will NOT do anything that involves him." Despite being strong when she had to be, she was like a mouse on the inside, troubled by her past experiences in life. However, as she started to walk away from the table, words rang in her ears as Clara said them:

"And if I brought your child into this?"

This made her stop for a moment, and then turn around with a look of fear washed over her face, "What about my child?"

"If there's one thing you should know, it is that mistakes have consequences. In my case, not complying to my demands results in some consequences….and sometimes….I will go to many lengths to give the consequences I must give." She paused, "When I don't get what I want….things can get _very_ serious for that certain person that lets me down."

She couldn't move.

Clara continued, "It's your choice. Simple one, if you ask me. Horatio….or your child?"

No answer.

"You have 24 hours before I come back….and yes….I'm going to want an answer." With that, Clara stood up and walked away without even sharing a sideways glance with the woman she was requiring to do a certain task for her.

* * *

><p><strong>Any guesses as to who the mystery woman is? I'd love to hear your thoughts!<strong>


End file.
